Press



O. G. VOSS Oct. 28.

PRESS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 26 191s lizviifi 0. G. voss Oct. 28 1924- PRESS Filed Dec. 26 1916 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lrwelf 0m & l W

Get. 28 2 1 O. G. VOSS;

PRESS Filed Dec. 26 1916.

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 To all whom it may concern:

Patented 0st. 28, 1924.

umen STAS PTENT FFFICE'.

OTTO G. VOSS OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

rREss.

application filled December 26, 1916. Serial 1T0. 138,714.

Be it known that 'I, O'r'ro G. Voss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Presses, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to'presses :such as are used by clothing manufacturers for pressing outer garments, or b laundries for.

the purpose of pressing laun ry work.

The principal object of the invention is to provide certain improvements which facilitate the operation of the press and increase its efliciency and output. Another object is to render the press easier to operate, that is to say, to relieve the operator of much of the manual labor heretofore required and to minimize the movements or the manipulation of controlling devices in pressing a garment or a series of garments. A still fur-.

ther object is to providea control for the power operated portion of the press, which automatically times the pressing operation and prevents a garment being pressed between the buck and the co-operating pressing member, whether it be in the form of an iron or ironing head, for a period of time whichis either less or greater than that desired.

The invention, briefly stated, comprises certain novel details of construction v and combinations and arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification matic' view showing the electric circuits,

switches and other elements used in the control of the press, this view illustrating the system of control which automatically times the pressing operation; Fig. 6 is a similar diagrammatic view showing the system of control wherein the/time of. the pressing operation. is controlled by the operator through a manually operated switch in the handle of the movable pressing member; Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the handle of the press with parts broken away, illustrating a manually operated switch which may be utilized to advantage in the s stem having the auto matic time control; ig. 8 is a similar view showing the. switch which may be used tov advantage in the system of control wherein the operator times the length of the pressing operation; and Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view through the handle of Fig. 8, showing the manner in which the switch .;is opened and closed manually.

In Figs. 1- and 2 I have shown ,my invention embodied in a press adapted especially for use b clothing manufacturer's, tailors and the like, for pressing outer garments. This press includes a bed or frame 10. on which is suitably supported a buck 11, to

which, if desired, a heatin medium may be supplied, as for example, ive steam or gas through a pipe 12 shown in Fig. 2. The heating of the buck may be dispensed with, or if desired, it may be heated by some othermedium than the ones referred to.

In the different forms of my inventionthe pressing member which co-operates with the buck is power operated, and although it is immaterial to my invention in its broadest aspect what type of power or source of power is used to create the pressure between the pressing member-and the buck, I prefer that this be accomplished electricallp through is supa large pressing magnet 13 whic v ported in the lower part of the frame 10.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the pressing member is in the form of an iron 14: which may beheated in any suitable manner, such as electrically or by steam or gas. In Fig. 2 the iron has connected to it a conduit 15 which may convey the heating medium or carry the conductors for heating the iron electrically. The iron is carried on thelower end of a vertical threaded shaft 16, provided at its upper end with an adjusting hand wheel 17 and mounted for adjustment vertically in the outer end of an arm 18 designed to be moved inwardly and outwardly with respect to, and having a sliding engagement with anarm or bracket 19 which is pivotedto swing about a vertical axis. The arm 19 is pivotally supported by vertically aligned trunnions 20 on the upper part of a rather heavy yoke 21 which is pivotally supported to move about a horizontal axis on brackets or standards 22 mounted on I and projecting upwardly from the rear part forwardly through the bed or frame 10, and

at its lower forward end is provided with I 1 an enlargement 24, which is directly above the pressing magnet 13 and -constitutes an armature co-operating therewith. It may be here stated that when the magnet 13 is energized, the armature end of the yoke is drawn down toward the magnet pulling the pressing member 14 firmly down onto the buck.

The pressing memberand the yoke supporting it are preferably so'co-unterbalanced that they can be easily shifted about the axis of the trunnions 23, Likewise, the pressing member can be readily moved about the vertical axis of the trunnio-ns 20- to move the pressing member lengthwise of the buck, and the arm 18 is mounted to slide easily in the arm or bracket 19 to permitthe pressing member to be moved to any point on the buck.

The pressing member 14 is provided with a handle 25 which is grasped by the operator to move the iron with respect to the buck, and which preferably has incorporated in it a controlling switch so that it can be manipulated, that is, either opened or closed by the operator with the hand placed on the handle to move the iron about,

and without requiring the removal of his hand from the handle.

Before describing the control of the pressing member and the type and number of switches which are utilized therein, reference is had to Figs. 3 ,and 4, showing the press adapted for pressing various kinds of garments and cloth including laundry work. This press as here shown is provided with a base 30 on the upper part of which is supported by means of a suitable bracket 31, the lower buck 32. (lo-operating with the buck 32 is an upper buck or pressing head 33 secured to an arm or lever 34, pivoted at 35 on brackets 36 on the upper part of the base 30 so as to swing about a horizontal axis, and provided with a movable counterweight 37 By means of the counterweight 37 the upper buck is counterbalanced so that it can be easily moved up or down by the operator grasping a handle 38 in which is preferably incorporated the controlling switch, to be referred to presently, so that by the same movement and by the hand which lowers the buck, the switch can be manipulated to control the source of power which pulls the buck down with the requisite pressure onto the lower buck to perform the pressing operation, In this instance as in the prior construction, the movable pressing member, that is to say the upper buck 33 is pulled down onto the lower buck by a magnet 13, which as here shown, is mounted in the lower part of the base 30, said magnet having a co-operating movable armature 39 which in this case is connected by a rod 39" to the lever 34 which carries the movable buck. The pressure of the upper buck on the lower buck can be adjusted when desired, by turning a turnbuckle 39 in the rod 39?. This adjustment is an important feature especially as an adjustment of the armature which varies very slightly the air gap between the magnet and armature when the magnet is energized and the pressing members are in engagement producing a very wide variation of maging medium being designated as a whole by the reference character 40.

In the control of the movable pressing member of the press either in the form illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, or in the form illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, I use an electrically controlled or an electro-magnetio switch 41 which is designed to open and close the circuit between the pressing magnet 13 and the main current supplying conductors 42 and 43 which may be conductors of an ordinary direct current lighting system. The switch 41 is opened either by gravity or by gravity assisted by a spring 41 and is closed by an electro-magnet 41*, the switch having a movable switch member 41 which is connected to a conductor 44 leading to the pressing magnet 13 and a contact 41, which is connected to one of the main current supplying conductors 43.

In addition to the switch 41 I employ a manually operated switch 45 and preferably also an automatic time limit switch 46 .which is normally closed, being closedby gravity, or by gravity assisted by a spring 46 (see Fig. 5) and is opened by the plunger of a solenoid 46 The solenoid 46 has associated with it a dash pot or equivalent time limit device, and in this case the plunger 46 of the solenoid has connected to its lower end a dash pot piston 46 which moves in a cylinder or casing 46 adapted to contain oil or other fluid which will cause the piston to move slowly for a given interval of time when the piston is moving in one direction, and then allow the piston to complete its movement in the same direction quickly. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 5, the plunger will move upward slowly for a period, and then'will complete its forward stroke with a quick ill ' stationary contact 46 of this switch is connected by a conductor 48 to one terminal of the coil of the electro-magnet 41 of switch 41', the other terminal of the coil being connected to conductor 44. One terminal of the coil of the solenoid 46 associated .with switch 46 is connected to the conductor 47 leading to the main conductor 42, and the other terminal of the solenoid coil is connected to the conductor 44. The switch 45 is connected in shunt around the switch 41, the movable contact member 45" of the switch being connected to conductor: 43 and the stationary contact 45 being connected to conductor 44. The switch 45, as shown in Fi 7 and also diagrammatically in Fig. 5, is c osed manually and opened by a spring 45 as soon as the push button 45 is released by the operator.

It will, be seen therefore, that with this arrangement normally the circuit of the pressing magnet 13 is open, the switches 41 and 45 the-n being open and the switch 46 closed.= When the operator desires to have the movable pressing member pulled downward onto the buck, he closes the manually operated switch 45. This-completes the circuit around the switch 41, causing a shunt or comparatively high resistance circuit to be completed through the coil of the actuating magnet 41 of switch 41. .This causes the instant closure of the switch 41 and the completion of the main circuit through the pressing magnet 13. Upon the closure of the switches 45 and 41, another comparatively high resistance circuit is completed through the coil 46 of the solenoid associated with the switch 46. The solenoid thus being energized, the plunger thereof begins to travel-upwardly, and after a predetermined interval of time it strikes with a blow the movable switch member 46 of switch 46, causing said switch to be opened and breaking the circuit through the'coil of magnet 41 ",of switch 41, causing said switch to be opened and also causing the de energization of the magnet 13-. It may be stated at this point, that previous to the opening of the switch 41 in the manner just de scribed, the hand operated switch 45 will be opened, becauseit is only necessary-for the o erator to close the switch 45 with his thum or finger, and then immediately thereafter" release-the button 45 andpermit-the switch 45 to be opened,.. The main switch' 4l," however, remains closed for apredetermined intervalof time,xafter which the switch 46. opens the shunt circuit that the ope tends through the handle and is provided at through the coil of the magnet controlling the switch 41, causing the opening of the latter and the cessation of the pressing operation. This also de-energizes the solenoid of switch 46 and the plunger then drops .back to normal position. The operator can then repeat the pressing operation which continues for a given interval of time as above explained, by again closing the switch 45.

"A valve'is preferably associated with the piston 46 so that the piston while moving slowly upward with the plunger, will drop back or move downward to normal position relatively quickly. i

The interval of time that the switch' 41 remains closed after the energizationof the solenoid of switch 46 can be varied in numerous ways, such for example, as by a rheostat or adjustable resistance R, Fig. 5, in the shunt circuit of the solenoid coil.

The manually operated switch 45 is referably embodied inthe handle 25 of F igs 1 and 2, or 38 of Figs. 3-'and 4. By reference to the detail view of Fig. 7 it will be seen that the contacts of switch 45 are arranged in a casing 45 at one end of the handle, and

rating stem for the switch exthe opposite end of the handle with the push button 45. While I do not wish to be confined to this construction of switch the arrangement here illustrated has proven to be very effective. In operating the press of Figs. 1 and 2 the operator will generally keep his hand on the handle, and with his thumb will press the push button inward to close the switch 45, and then release the push button whereupon the pressing member is pulled down onto the buck and when the pressing member is released after a predetermined interval of time, the operator will move the iron to another point on the buck, and again press the button and then release it. In this manner the pressing of a large garment or a series of garments can be done rapidly, although each time the desired predetermined interval of pressing haselapsed, the pressing member will automatically swing upward away from the lower .buck by. the action of the counterwei'ght-.

The system of control wherein the press-- ing member'is held down onto the buck 'for a predetermined interval of time is very usefulin doing certain kinds of pressing work, I

particularly when the operator is doing plece work, that is, is paid bythe number of garments which are pressed. With the prior presses wherein the length of pressing operation is controlled by the operator there is able that the operator'control the time of the pressing operation, particularly in doing certain kinds of pressing, such as the socalled seam pressing, wherein the operator. moves the pressing member rapidly along- I the seam, it being necessary that the pressing 50 and 50".

member be held down only for an instant, or a very shortinterval of time. For this kind of work I arrange the controlling switch in the handle as in the time limit arrangement first described, but employ a switch which the operator closes and opens while maintaining his hand on the handle. rangement last-referred to is illustrated in Figs. 6, 8 and 9. By referring toFitg. 6 particularly, it will be seen that the time limit switch is eliminated, and that the system of control for the pressing magnet'l3 includes only the electromagnetic switch 41, which as in the first arrangement opens and closes the circuit for the pressing magnet,

and the manually controlled switch here' designated 50. This switch as here shown includes two stationary contacts 50 and 50", and a movable switch member 50, whichis opened and closed by. a pair of push buttons This switch 50 is connected in series with the coil of the electro-magnet ll, in a high resistance shunt circuit connected across the conductors 42 and 43. This switch is preferably incorporated in the handle of the press inthe mannerillustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 with the two push buttons extending through the handle at diametrically opposite points.

It will be obvious that the operator can open and close the switch and thus cause the pressing member to be pulled downward onto the buck, and then released as rapidly as the character of-the work will permit I do not desire to. be confined to the exact details shown, as variations-in the construct1on and arrangement will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, and I aim therefore in my claims to cover all modifications which do not involve a departure I from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Haying thus described my invention, what I claim 1s:

1. In a press, a pair of pressing members,

one of which is movable with respect to the other, means "for causing a pressing action between the same for a predetermined interval of time, said means comprising a motive device which is operatively connected-- This ar-' to the movable pressing member, means by which energy may be supplied to said motive device, and means for automatically causing the de-energization of the motive de vice at the end of said predetermined in terval of time so as to terminate the pressing action.

2. In a press, a pair of co-operating pressing members one of which is movable with respect to the other, a motive device connected to the movable pressing member i'for causing a pressing action between the two pressing members, means under the control oi? the operator for causing the motive device to be connected to a source of power so asto receive energy from the latter, and means for automatically disconnectin the motive device and source of power alter a predetermined pressing action has occurred so as to deenergize the motive device and terminate the pressing action.

3. In a garment press, a pair of cooperating pressing members one of which 'is movable with respect to the other; electromagnetic motive means acting upon the movable pressing member for causing a a pressing action between the two pressing members, conductors for connecting the motive means to-a source of current supply, and means for controlling said motive means including a switch for automatically disconnecting the motive means from the source of current supply after a. predetermined interval of time from the beginning of the pressing action's'o as to \deenergize the motive means and terminate the pressing action. i

4:. In a garment press, a pair of cooperatingpressing members one of which is movable with respect to the other, electromagnetic motive means acting upon the movable pressing member for causing a pressing action between the two pressing members, and means for controlling said .motive means including a manually con- 'said pressing members.

5. In a garment press, a pair of cooperating pressing members one of which is movable with respect to the other, electromagnetic motive means associated with the movable pressing member for causing pressing action between said pressing members, an electrically operated switch for connecting said motive. means to a source of current, a manually operated switch for controlling the closure of said electrically operated switch, and an automatic switch for causing the opening of said electrically operated switch a predetermined time after the closure thereof.

6. In a press, a pair of co-operating press- Ill) ing members one of which is stationary and the other movable with respect thereto, a magnet having a member connected to the movable pressing member, and switching means for controlling the energization of said magnet and comprising a switch for automatically causing the de-energization of said magnet a predetermined time after the magnet is energized.

7. In a press, a stationary pressing member, a movable pressing member, a magnet having an armature comiected to said movable pressing member and adapted to. cause the same to be held against the stationary pressing member for garment pressing purposes, an electrically operated switch for closing the circuit between said magnet and a source of current supply,'a manually operated switch for causing the closure of said electrically operated switch, and an electrically operated switch for automatically causing the opening of said first-named electrically operated switch.

8. In' a press, a frame, a buck supported on said frame, a movable pressing member,

a power device operatively connected thereto and adapted to hold the same against the buckwith predetermined pressure, a main controlling device for the power device, said movable pressing member having a handle by which it may be moved relative to the buck, and a controlling element carried by said handle for controlling the main controlling device.

9. In a press, a buck, a pressing member movable with respect to the buck and provided with a handle for shifting the same,

operating member adapted to be shifted by the ban of the operator when grasping said handle.

OTTO G. VOSS. 

